Centrifugal separator



CENTRIFUGAL SEPARATOR Filed Feb. ll. 1930 3 Sheets-Sheet -l l .l a

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ATTORNEYS Jan. 26, 1932. E. TEE MEERr 1,842,464

GENTRIFUGAL SEPARATOR Filed Feb. 11, 1930 sheets-sheet 2 Jan. 26, 1932.y G. TER MEER- 1,842,464

CENTRIFUGAL SEPARATOR Filed Feb. 11,1930 ssheets-sheet s,

INVENTOR G'ms'hv IIe/'Meel' @www1/4M ATTORNEY Patented Jan. 26, 1932UNITED STATES GUSTAV TER MEER, OF MUNICH, `GilLIRMA1\TY,

.ASSIGNOR TO ALBERT T. OTTO & SONS, OF

NEW YORK, N. Y., A CORPORATION OF NEW YORK CENTRIFU'GAL SEPAIRA'IOBApplication filed February 11, 1930, Serial No.

This invention is an improvement in centrifugal machines of the type inwhich liquid and solid materials are separated by centrifugal action andin which the charge is continuously delivered and the solid matterintermittently discharged.

The main obj ect of the invention is to secure a large capacity for thecharge to be dried whereby the raw material may be delivered to theapparatus at a substantially constant rate.

A further object is to provide means whereby the size of the charge mayIbe varied through a comparatively wide range Without interruption ofthe operation of the apparatus in order to secure a fixed degree ofdehydration even though the water content of the charge be variable.

A further ob `ect ofthe invention is to so design the parts that thesolid matter to be dried is subjected to the minimum agitation so as toavoid unintentional breaking up or pulverizing of the solid material.

These and other objects may be secured by means of the apparatusdisclosed in the accompanying drawings and which illustrate only two ofvarious forms which my invention may assume.

ln these drawings: *f

Fig. 1 is a central longitudinal vertical section of one form of' myimproved apparatus, the upper part of the drum being shown in dischargeposition, while the lower half is shown in the normal or main operatingposition, l

Fig. 2 is a similar view of a second form, here again the upper halfbeing shown in discharge position and the lower half in normal oroperating position, said section being taken on the line 2-2 of Fig. 3,and

Fig. 3 is a vertical transverse section, the upper half being on theline X-Y and the lower half being `on the line U-W .of Fig. 2.

The apparatus illustrated in Fig. 1 includes a constantly rotating drumsieve A having a separate axially movable end wall B serving as adistributing member. This end wall is connected by piston rods 10 to aplurality of pistons or to an annular piston 11 mounted to reciprocatein corresponding 427,446, and in Germany February 13, 1929.

cylinders or c linder 12 secured to the main drive shaft The Huid foractuating the piston in opposite directions-at will may be deliveredthrough passages in the shaft substantially as shown in my prior Patent1,160,635, issued Nov. 16, 1915 and therefore need not here bedescribed.

The material is fed to the drum by means of a suitable feed device Dfrom a hopper S and through a conduit or chute H.

The axially movable end wall B includes a palr of annular spaced wallsE1 and E2 which are rigidly connected together by braces R. The Wall E1is imperforate and secured to the piston rods and substantially closelyfits the drive shaft C. Its outer edge is spaced from the drum sieve Aso as to permit the passage of material therebetween. The outer wall E2is also of annular shape, but is space-d from the shaft C to leave anopening through which the conduit H extends and 4at its outer edge itclosely en a es the drum sieve A. The ody portion o te wall E, ispreferably substantially in a radial plane while the Wall E2 is conicalso as to form an annular funnel shaped space F between the two wallsand' into which the material is delivered and from which it passes atthe narrowed eriphery to the drum sieve A. The Wall 4 2 is 0f such acharacter that liquid but not the solid material may pass therethroughand the chute H extends through the central aperture of the wall to suchan extent that the material will be delivered into the space Firrelspective of the axial position of this wall 2.

In operation the funnel shaped space F is substantially lled with thematerial to be dehydrated and the walls El and E2 are in the positionillustrated at the lower half of Fig. 1 and the drum and all of theparts within the drum sieve are rapidly rotated. There is a preliminarydehydration of the material in the space F by the action of the sieve orperforated wall E2 and the solid material collects at the outer narrowannular outlet of this space and crowds onto the drum sieve A where thefinal dehydration takes place.

The layer of material accumulating on the drum sieve will be ofa'thickness indicated as K and which is dependent upon the distancebetween the periphery of the wall El and the drum sieve. This distancemay be chosen according to the quality and pecularities of the materialwhich is to be centrifuged.

The predetermined spacing of the wall E1L and the drum sieve A may bevaried at will by placing one or more annular rings or extensions T onthe periphery of the wall El.

If desired the apparatus may be provided with means whereby the solidmaterial ac- 'cumulatino on the drum sieve may be Washed. s shown Iprovide an annular imperforate wall or drum a encircling the operatingpistons and cylinders and rigidly connected thereto. This wall hasinwardly directed flanges at its opposite end, the iange at the outerend being wider than that at the inner end. A pipe c for washing liquidterminates adjacent the inner surface of the drum a and is distributedover the inner surface of this drum by the action of centrifugal force.Liquid may overiow the narrow iange at the inner end and be thrownagainst the material on the drum sieve or the drum a may be providedwith spray openings b through which the liquid is discharged bylcentrifugal force.

All of the rotatable parts may be enclosed in a housing L which receivesthe liquid thrown out from the drum sieve A as well as that thrown fromthe screen wall E2.

i This liquid may be collected at the bottom of the housing anddischarge-d therefrom.

The sieve drum A at the end opposite to the distributing walls El, E2 isprovided with outlet openings G for the solid mate'- rial. These mayregister with passages connected to or extending through the housing L.When the material which has accumulated on .the inner surface of thedrum sieve A has been dried to the desired extent, iuid y may beadmitted to actuate the piston and force the walls El, E2 toward theleft from the position shown at the bottom of Fig. l to the piston shownat the top of Fig. 1. This will force`material along the surface of thedrum sieve Where it will be thrown out iby centrifugal force through theopenings G. The walls may then be restored to normal position, theentire operation taking place without interfering with the continuousrotation of the parts or the continuous delivery of material to thespace F in which the predrying-takes place.

The braces R which connect the walls El and E2 are in the form of vanesforming ues therebetween so as to guide the material and to cause it torotate with the drum and with the minimum amount of beating or breakingup.

The apparatus illustrated in Figs. 2 and 3 operates in substantially thesame way as that illustrated in Fig. 1, but differs therefrom in mattersof design, details and arrangement of parts. Instead of having aplurality of pistons or an annular piston there is provided a singledisc piston K.

which is connected to the center of the wall E1. Instead of deliveringthe material through an inclined chute H I have provided a conduit Hwhich extends axially through the shaft and bearing so that the openingin the wall E2 may be very materially smaller. The washing attachment isomitted from the form shown in Fig. 2 and in order to preventpren'lature discharge from the drum A and to prevent the material fromfalling away from the drum in case the speed of the machine is reduced,there-is Vprovided an inner wall O for the chamber containing thematerial being dried. This wall is connected to the periphery of thewall EJL and may have an outwardly turned flange at its outer edge whichmay engage with the end of the drum sieve A to close the discharge portG as shown at the bottom of Fig. 2 or may move away from said drum toopen the port as shown at the top of Fig. 2.

In operation the discharge movement of the distributing plate B and itswalls El,

E2 may be performed as frequently as may be desired depending upon thecharacter of the material being treated. Each time it moves axially inone direction it pushes material along the drum and pushes a portion ofthe material beyond the drum so that it will be thrown out through theopenings G. As the wall moves in the opposite direction the space whichit uncovers will be filled with further material moving out from thespace F. This back and forth movement may be only at rare intervals asthe pressure of the material in the space F may continuously tend toslide the material along the drum A to the discharge ports or thedistributing wall may be moved back and forth continuously. The lengthof the stroke of the reciprocating parts may be controlled if desired bymeans of adjustable stops in the path of the movementof the actuatingpiston. In Fig. 2 I have shown such a space Q, threaded through the endwall of the cylinder; Similar stops may, of course, be used with theform shown in Fig. 1.

I. have illustrated the device as mounted with its axis horizontal andthis is preferably the position, but it will be obvious that the sameprinciple of operation might be employed in a device constructed with avertical axis of rotation.

In the construction illustrated it will be noted that the range of thedistributing mem-v ber which includes the walls E1 and E2 is verymaterially less than the effective 1ength ot' the drum sieve. Thereforethe material is pushed along the drum intermittently or step by step.The distributing member may llO form thickness of material on thelatter.

The size of-the openings in the reticulated walls A and E; may dependupon the character of the material being treated. They 'should be suchthat the liquid can pass p through but the solid cannot.

The distributing member is, of course, rotated with the shaft by meansof its connection to the cylinder block whilethe drum may be connectedto the shafvt in any suitable manner as for instance by an end wall Pattached to the periphery of the cylinder as shown in Fig.l 2 or thewater chamber wall a as shown in Fig.- 1.

Having thus described `my invention, what 4 I claim as new and desire tosecure by Letters Patent is:

1. A centrifugal machine having a reticulated peripheral Wall, adistributing member having annular axially spaced walls forming achamber therebetween, the outer wall con'- tacting with said peripheralwall and the inner wall being spaced therefrom, means for deliveringmaterial to be treated to said space, and means for effecting a relativeaxial movement of said peripheral wall and distributing member.

2. A centrifugal machine having a reticu lated peripheral Wall, adistributing member having annular axially spaced Walls forming achamber therebetween, the outer wall contacting with said peripheralwall and the inner wall being spaced therefrom, means for continuouslydelivering material to be treated to said space, and means for effectinga relative axial movement of said peripheral wall and distributingmember.

p 3. A centrifugal machineincluding a drum sieve havin al dischargeopening at'one end thereof, a istributing member including a pair ofwalls axially spaced to provide a re.- peiving chamber for the materialto be treated, the outer wall being substantially conical and having itsperiphery engaging said sieve and the inner wall having its peripheryspaced from said sieve to a predetermined distance to control thethickness of the layer of material accumulating on said sieve, and meansfor eecting a relative axial movement of said sieve and said member.

4. A centrifugal machine as defined in claim 3 in which a portion of theconical Wall is reticulated to permit predrying of the materialbetween-zl said walls.

5. A centrifugal machine having a peripheral wall, an annular,substantially conical end wall having its periphery engaging theperipheral wall and having an opening at its center through which thematerial to be dried is introduced, means for reciprocating said endwall, and a conduit projecting through said opening to a point beyondthe limiting movement of said end wall.

6. A centrifugal machine including a reticulated peripheral wall, adistributing meml ber including spaced annular walls, the outer edge ofthe outer wall engaging the peripheral wall and the outer edge of theinner wall being spaced from .the peripheral wall, and means for varyingthe effective distance between said peripheral wall and the inner edgeof the inner wall of-said distributing member.

7. A centrifugal machine including a reticulated peripheral wall, adistributing member including spaced annular walls, the outer edge ofthe outer wall engaging the peripheral wall and the outer edge of theinner wall being spaced from the peripheral Wall, and a removable ringfor varying the distance between the outer edge of said inner wall andsaid peripheral Wall to control the thickness of the layer of materialaccumulating on the peripheral wall.

8. A centrifugal machine including a reticulated peripheral Wall havinga discharge outlet for solid material at one end, and a distributingmember at the other end, said distributing member including a pair ofspaced annularwalls, the outer edge ofthe outer wall engaging saidperipheral wall and the inner edge of the inner wall being spaced fromsaid peripheral Wall, means for effecting relative longitudinal movementof said distributing member and said peripheralwall, and an annular Wallwithin said peripheral wall and spaced therefrom and secured to theinner wall of said distributing member, said annular wall having meansfor opening and closing said discharge outlet by said relativelongitudinal movement.

Signed at Munich, Germany, this 27th day of January, A. D.1930.

DR. Ine..4 GUSTAV TER MEER.

